Process and apparatus for distilling oils



June 9, 1925.

H. J. HALLE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING OILS Filed Sept. l7, 1920 Y S W M lun NONN\\\MN\M\\M WIMHMWM b. VM 1 l WMMMWWIW.. i l f l W M M J M NMINNIMIIIIMIIIIIII 111 111 llll l u n L --VwmmmwwmmmwmH HW J QN mw NN 1 l l I l I l I l IIIIMK MN\MN f MKII. l l n I l M@ b1 --.A/ff Lrliwf www O ,m A N NWN W June 9, 1925.

H. J. HALLE PRocEss AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING oILs` Filed sepfc. 17, 192o s shevetslsneet l2 1,540,986 H. J. HALLE Filed sept: 17. 1920 5 sheetgsneet s PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING OILS June 9, 1925.

v*Patented dune 9,1925. `UNITED STATES' HIRAM .1. HALLE, or CHICAGO, ILLINo'Is, vAsslcrivon To UNIvERsAL oIL rRonUc'rsl COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

PROCESS APPARATUS FOR DISTILING OILS.

Application led September 17, 1920. Serial No. 410,918.

To a- ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, IIIRAMf J. HALLE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Processes and Apparatus forDistilling Oils, of whichthe following is a specification.

This'invention relates to a process and apparatus for distilling oils and refers more particularly to `a process and apparatus for cracking'comparatively heavy hydrocarbons into lighter hydrocarbons such as gasoline or the like.

Among its salientv objectsl are toprovide a process in which the oil, after beingheated in a cracking zone, is directed to an enlarged vertical vapor or reacting zone where 'provide a process which isynot seriously during its circuitous travel therein while being mamtamed 1n a heated state, a more thorough. crackmg reaction 1s obtained; to

hindered by a substantial accumulation of carbon and one to which'the carbon does` vide an apparatus adapted to cause a 'greater ing hydrocarbon oils, and. particularly the surface exposure of the oil tothe heated vapor chamber and at the 'same time more surface within the chamber to, provide a reacting zone that is advantageous to a greater cracking reaction; to provide an apparatus the construction of which facilitates.: itsI cleaning and in general to provide a Vprocess and apparatus ofthe character referred to.

In the drawings:

Figl is a side elevational view of the a-pparatus with parts inv section and parts broken away. :f

Fi 2 is a View taken on line 2 2 of Fig;

l'loo ing in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a modified formv of vapor chamber interposed in the apparatus.'A v

Fig. 4 is .a view taken on line 4-'4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig.y 5 is a side elevational view of a secondmodi form of va or chamber.

` Fig. 6 is-a.' view taken on line 6-6 of 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

An essential feature in distilling or crackheavier oils, such as California or- Mexican products, is controlling of the collection of precipitated carbon in the reacting or vapor chamber so as to retard as little as possible the operation of thecracking process. In the process here disclosed additional surface is exposed to the heated oil in the vapor chambers, assisting the vaporization of the oil and affording additional surface. for the collecting of the precipitated carbon, therc- 1 Referring tothe drawings in the three cracking systems shown by Figures 1, 3

`and 5,'the general construction is identical with theexception of the interior of the vaporizing chamber in each system.

The systems comprise an oil feed line 1 whichV supplies the raw oil from. any convenient sourcenot shown, and directs the same to the heating tubes 2 mounted in a furnace 3, the furnace being preferably heated by-means of gas burners 4. The oil after being raised to a cracking tempera- 'ture in the heating tubes is transferred through lines 5 tothe vapor chambers 6 where the greater part -of the cracking reaction takes place. These chambers are fit-- ted with upper and lower removable cleaning plates 7 residuum draw-off 8 controlled by valves 9 and vapor lines 10 which direct ythe released vapors to the dephlegmators 11.

- after dephlegmation pass over through' goose-necks 14 and after being subjected to a condensing action in the water co-ndensers 15 are collected in receiving tanks 16 as distillate. Lines 17 connect the Jcondenser coils to the receivers. Each receiver 'is equipped with adraw-ofl' line 18 controlled by` a valve 19, liquid level gauge 20 pressure gauge 21 and a pressure relief pipe 22 controlled by avalve 23. f

As will be noted.2 the general construction of the apparatus. 1s identicalin each case,

- the novelty lying wholly in the interior' con- 'struction` of the vapor chambers.

Describing first the vapor chamber shown in Fig. l, the heated oil on being introduced is spread upon a plate 24 spirally arranged Within the chamber so that the heated oil will be coursed from the inlet line to the bottom of the chamber in a comparatively shallow stream whereby the oil has ample opportunity to vaporize; and due to vthe fact' that a greater surface ofthe oil is in contact with the heated interior metal of the chamber than is obtained in the usualracking chamber, conditions are such as to promote kan increased vaporization of the oil. About the inner edge of this spiral plate is a raised lip 25 which prevents the oil from flowing directly to the bottom of the chamber instead of following the travel of the spiral plate. Besides aiding the vaporization of the heated oil, this construction is an improvement over the common vaporizing chamber in that due to its `vertical position the precipitated carbon Will be flushed down with the oil stream.`

mediately contacts a coiled baffle plate 26, f

the outer edge 27 of the plate contacting the interior shell rof the chamber andthe plate so coiled that the other end 28 4is positioned close to the vertical axis of the chamber. The oil on entering the vapor chamber contacts the baiiie plate and circulates around the coiled path formed by same until it reaches the center of the chamber. During this circuitous route the heated oil has ample opportunity to vaporize and, as before in the preceding vapor chamber above' explained, is constantly contacting with thek metal surface which is heated 'by the oil and serves to promote vaporization. The oil, as it travels toward the center of the chamber, receives additional heat, by radiation through the baffle plate from the incoming oil which is at a higher temperature. It will be noted that the heated oil will constantly circulate in the 'manner described until it reaches a levelabove theheight of the baffle plate at which time the oil in the di'tferentcoils of the plate will combine in the top of the chamber.

The details of construction of the interior of the vapor chamber shown in Fig. 3 and` in Fig. 6 until itvreaches the. center o f the l chamber. Here, with accumulation of the oil, it will rise, and as it reaches the upper -the central portion of the chamber than in a vapor chamber constructed as shown in Fig. 3. A slight rise of the oil in the central portion of the vapor chamber shown in Fig. 5 will cause it to'flow over the top of the inner coil, and as it rises higher and higher at successive stages, it will flow into anothery of the outer lanes of the coil. When it has finally reached a level substantially that of the outer edge of the batiie plate, the oil will combine directly with the body of the oil in the chamber.

' A feature of this controlling of the level` of the oil in the vapor chamber is the regulation which may be obtained upon the char-l acter of the distillate which is collected in y the receivers. By controlling the level of the oil by means of residuum draw.-of,.the

temperature in the vapor chamber may be j controlled and the rate of vaporization toa great extent regulated.

The cleaning factor in chambers of this type is of great importance in that the carbon may collect to a considerable height in the .chambers before it isnecessary to shut down for cleaning.

Vapor chambers of this type may be connected in duplicate and provision made for cutting out one chamber for cleaning purposes while the other is kept in operation, thereby providing a continuous operation.

Iclaim as my invention:

1. The process of distilling'oils consisting in heating oilto a. cracking temperature, in

directing the' same to a vapor chamber, inl

causing the oil to travel in a spiral path over surfaces in said vapor chamber prior to its discharge, and in discharging vapors from the vapor chamber, in' discharging oils after passage over said surfaces from the i chamber, and in regulating the quantities of oil discharged from the chamber to regu` late the depth of oil maintained therein.

2. The process of distilling oils, comprising heating oil in a cracking chamber, in directing the heated oil to a vapor chamber,

inpassing the oil in the vapor chamber in a spiral path toward the center of said chamber, in discharging vaporsfrom the vapor chamber, and in regulating the discharge of oil in a liquid phase from the chamber to regulate the depth of the oil remaining therein.

3. 'lhe process of distllhng o1ls comprising heating oil to a crackingtemperature, in directing the oil after heating to a vapor chamber, in causing the oil to travel in a spiral path through the vapor chamber prior tov discharge, in discharging vapors from said chamber, and in regulating the quantity of liquid oil discharged from said chamber to'control the height and quantity .of oil maintained in the chamber to combine with the incoming heated oil.

4. Inan apparatus for distilling oils, coinprising a heating chamber, means for feeding oilV thereto. a vapor chamber in communication with the ,heatingfchamben said vapor chamber being provided With a spiral passageway gradually leading from the circumference to the center thereof, means for discharging vapors from the vapor chamber, and vmeans for discharging liquid oil from the center of said chamber.

5. In an apparatus fordistilling oils, a vapor chamber, said vapor chamber being provided With a spiral passageway leading' from the circumference to the center ofv said chamber, means for discharging vapors therefrom, means 'for discharging liquid oil thathas passed to the center of said chamber therefrom, and means for controlling the quantity of oil discharged to permit the vapor chamber to contain a given quantity of oil to miX with the incoming oil introduced thereto.

6. In an apparatus for distilling oils, a vaporv chamber, said vapor chamber being provided with a spiral baflie forming a spiral passageway leading from the circumference of the vapor chamber to the center thereof through `which oil passes in contact with said baille, a vapor discharge from said vapor chamber,vand means for discharging liquid oil from the vapor chambers.

7. The process of distilling hydrocarbonl oils, comprising introducing oil to a heating chamber, in discharging the oil into a vapor chamber, in. causing the oil to travel in a spiral path from the circumference of the vapor chamber to the center thereof, in discharging vapors from said chamber, and in discharging liquid oil from the center of the vapor chamber.

HIRAM J. HALLE. 

